Food labels are everywhere, from a morning cereal box to an evening ready meal. They’re packed with numbers, percentages, and ingredients lists, all designed to help you make informed choices about what you’re eating. But let’s be honest – sometimes they’re more confusing than helpful, when you are trying to understand how to eat to lose weight or just be more healthy. What do all those numbers really mean? And how much can you trust what they’re telling you?
Understanding the Basics of Food Labels
Food labels in the UK are required to include certain key pieces of information. These are designed to give you a snapshot of what’s in the product. Here’s what you’ll typically see:
- Energy (Calories): Usually shown in both kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal), with kcal being the familiar “calories” we think of. This tells you how much energy the food provides.
- Fat: Broken down into total fat and saturated fat (sometimes called “saturates”).
- Carbohydrates: Includes total carbs and sugars (which may include naturally occurring and added sugars).
- Protein: Shows how much protein is in the product.
- Salt: Often highlighted because too much salt is linked to health issues like high blood pressure.
These are presented as per 100g and sometimes per serving to help you compare products easily. Some maybe as sold, and some as cooked.
What Do the Percentages Mean?
You might notice percentages listed next to some nutrients. These are part of the Reference Intakes (RIs), which are guidelines for how much of each nutrient an average adult should consume daily. For example:
- Energy: The RI is 2,000 kcal for an average adult.
- Fat: The RI is 70g per day, with 20g of this being saturated fat.
- Salt: The RI is 6g per day.
If a label says a product contains 25% of your RI for fat, it means eating that portion provides a quarter of the fat you’re recommended to consume in a day.
The Traffic Light System
The UK uses a colour-coded traffic light system to make it easier to spot how healthy a product is at a glance:
- Green: Low in a particular nutrient (e.g., low sugar or low fat).
- Amber: Medium levels—okay for most people in moderation.
- Red: High in a nutrient, meaning you should eat this product sparingly.
The traffic light system is a helpful quick guide but has several flaws. It focuses on individual nutrients like fat, sugar, and salt, rather than the overall nutritional quality of a food, which can penalise healthy items like nuts or yoghurt while favouring processed, low-fat products. Portion sizes are determined by manufacturers and may not reflect real-world consumption, potentially misleading consumers. It doesn’t account for additives, processing, or how a food fits into your overall diet, and its voluntary nature means it’s not universally applied, making comparisons between products harder. While useful, it’s best used alongside a broader understanding of nutrition.
How Accurate Are the Numbers?
Here’s the thing: food labels are carefully regulated, but they’re not always perfect. Some reasons you might want to take them with a pinch of salt (pun intended!):
- Rounding: Numbers are often rounded to the nearest whole number, so the calorie or nutrient content might not be exact.
- Portion Sizes: The manufacturer decides the portion size listed on the label. Sometimes these are smaller than what you’d realistically eat. For example, a “portion” of crisps might be 25g, but most small bags are 40g or more.
- Natural Variation: Fresh and minimally processed foods like fruit, veg, and meat can vary naturally in their nutrient content depending on factors like growing conditions or animal diet.
Added Sugars vs. Natural Sugars
One of the trickiest parts of reading labels is figuring out where the sugar is coming from. The total sugar listed on the label includes both:
- Natural sugars: Found in foods like fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose).
- Added sugars: These are the ones added during production, like table sugar, honey, or syrups.
Why does this matter? Natural sugars often come with fibre, vitamins, and minerals, while added sugars just provide empty calories. Check the ingredients list for clues – if sugar, glucose syrup, or anything ending in “-ose” is high on the list, there’s a good chance the product has added sugars.
Can You Trust the Labels?
Generally, yes – food labels in the UK are regulated by law, and manufacturers are required to provide accurate information. But it’s worth being mindful of a few things:
- Marketing Tricks: Claims like “low fat” or “high in fibre” can be misleading. A product might be low in fat but high in sugar, or high in fibre but packed with calories. Always check the full label. When giving realistic advice through weight loss coaching, claims like these are often seen on products I call “halo products”. If it has a health claim, chances are there is a downside still! You don’t see a health claim on fruit for example!
- Other Health Halos: Words like “organic”, “natural”, or “gluten-free” don’t automatically mean healthy. You still need to look at the actual nutritional information.
- Processed Foods: Labels on highly processed foods are often designed to look healthier than they are. For example, a cereal bar might say “only 100 calories!” but could still be full of added sugar.
Tips for Making Smarter Choices
Here are a few tips to help you cut through the confusion and use food labels effectively:
- Look at the Per 100g Column: This makes it easier to compare products, especially if portion sizes differ.
- Watch Out for Red Traffic Lights: A product with several reds maybe best kept as an occasional treat.
- Check Ingredients: Ingredients are listed in order of weight, so the first few items make up most of the product. If sugar is one of the top three, it may not be the healthiest choice.
- Be Realistic About Portions: If you know you’ll eat more than one serving, do the maths to work out the true numbers.
- Think Big Picture: A single food label doesn’t define your diet. Focus on your overall eating habits rather than obsessing over every number.
So, food labels can be a great tool for making healthier choices, but they’re not perfect. They provide a snapshot, not the full picture, so it’s important to read them carefully and consider the bigger context of your diet.
By understanding what the numbers mean and staying mindful of portion sizes, added sugars, and marketing claims, you can make more informed decisions and feel confident about what’s on your plate. So next time you’re shopping, take a moment to look beyond the flashy claims and dig into the numbers – you might be surprised by what you learn!
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